The disclosure relates to wire feeding. More particularly, the disclosure relates to feeding of wire from one atmospheric condition to another.
Wire feeding systems are used in many industrial processes. Exemplary processes include: welding; coating; and electro-explosive powder formation. In various such systems, the wire is fed from a source (e.g., a spool) at one atmospheric condition to a destination at another atmospheric condition. Exemplary atmospheric conditions may differ in terms of pressure and/or composition. For example, the source may be at essentially ambient atmospheric conditions whereas the destination may be at a much lower pressure such as a vacuum or very low pressure noble gas or reactive gas.